Dear Chris, Marja and Rick

 

First, Happy 4th July to all our North American colleagues from
Downunder!  We are in the grips of what passes for winter in this neck
of the woods - cool nights and sunny days, and a bit of rain in some
parts (thank goodness!). Hope you all enjoyed the fireworks!

 

Enough about the weather in case you think that meteorologists have
joined the conversation.  I think Chris has raised a very interesting
and valid point when he mentions the issue of 'perspective'.  This term
is applicable not only to our view of the long-term value of records and
their preservation, but equally to the view that we should have of our
profession.  I believe that there are many similarities between RMs and
archivists, in both the core body of knowledge that underlies these
professions, but also in practice.  Before I hear some outraged claims
to the contrary, let me quote David Roberts, who said sometime ago, on
another listserv, (and I am quoting from memory) that 'records do not
undergo archival transubstantiation'.  For those of you who might be
familiar with Catholicism, this refers to the wine and bread at
communion actually becoming the body and blood of Christ.  What Roberts
is saying that records do not suddenly become something quite different
when they enter archives.

 

I further believe that the time has come for RMs, in particularly as
this is such a young, and yet old, profession, to embrace the
similarities it has with other information professions - and this does
not include information technology as a profession - IT is a tool which
assists us in achieving our professional goals.  Gilliland-Swetland has,
for example, written on the notion of a 'metacommunity' which is perhaps
more inclusive than I would suggest.  This notion has also been
expressed by Eli Cohen, who has developed a journal and a suite of
conference around the notion of 'Informing Science' - this rather clumsy
description arising no doubt from a difficulty in finding new, and yet
expressive, terminology.  This view is supported quite firmly by theory,
which includes systems theory and the idea of 'metasystem transition'.
This idea describes the recognition that many separate parts do in fact
belong to a greater whole, as they all contribute to the same objective.
Then there is also the idea of metanarratives, or metadiscourse, which
is identified in postmodernism.

 

One of the issues for me is the importance and urgency of clarification
of the core knowledges for such a community, and I have recently
published a book on the topic, entitled "The new information profession"
(Chandos, 2005)  available at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1843340879/qid=1120510743/sr=2-1/
ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-3260086-0878321 .  Colleagues and I also made a
presentation on "The Theory and Praxis of Records Managers and
Archivists - is there a difference?" at the ICA Congress in Vienna last
August, and these thoughts were published in the Information Management
Journal, and will be published in an upcoming issue of Comma (our humble
attempt at cross-disciplinary communication).  It will be seen that an
inclusive approach is adopted here.  I should note, however, that I am
of the opinion, Marja, that while I believe that archivists and RMs
should adopt an historical overview, one must realise that not all
historians may be equally interested in the preservation and
conservation of the documents that support their work, relying on others
to do this.  Some PR might be necessary here to develop more
cross-overs, or 'boundary-runners'.

 

One of the central issues that faces RIM, in my view, is less obsession
with the technological aspects and the techniques that are used to
practice or 'exercise' professional activities, and more emphasis on the
social and organisational reasons for the profession's existence
(responding to a social need is a hallmark of a profession, after all).
Working solely under the first paradigm means that we could easily be
overwhelmed by technologists; using the second will ensure our relevancy
for many years to come.

All the best

Sue

 

Sue Myburgh

University of South Australia

Adelaide

Australia  

 

 

 

 

 

 

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance